Doubles and cucumber chutney
Serves: 6
Prep time: 1 hrTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Kris Kirkham
Doubles and cucumber chutney
Doubles is a popular street food in Trinidad and Tobago. The soft baras – fried, flat bread – and spiced chickpea curry make for a satisfying double duo; if you want to really ramp up the heat, finely dice the Scotch bonnet and add it with the onions while cooking the channa, rather than simmering them whole
Serves: 6
Prep time: 1 hrTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
560Kcal
Fat
12gr
Saturates
1gr
Carbs
91gr
Sugars
7gr
Fibre
11gr
Protein
16gr
Salt
2.2gr
Nadine Brown
When Nadine isn't busy developing delicious recipes and using her experience as a health food editor to create healthy treats, she's munching and reviewing her way around her beloved home town of Tottenham. Find out what she's cooking and eating on Instagram @n0sh.17
See more of Nadine Brown’s recipes
Nadine Brown
When Nadine isn't busy developing delicious recipes and using her experience as a health food editor to create healthy treats, she's munching and reviewing her way around her beloved home town of Tottenham. Find out what she's cooking and eating on Instagram @n0sh.17
See more of Nadine Brown’s recipes
Ingredients
For the baras
- 500g plain flour, plus extra to dust
- 1½ tbsp caster sugar
- 1 x 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
- 1½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- vegetable oil, for greasing and frying
For the cucumber chutney
- ½ cucumber (approx. 200g), seeds removed
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- ½-1 Scotch bonnet, seeds removed
- juice of 1 lime
- large pinch of ground cumin
- pinch of sugar
For the channa
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsp mild Caribbean curry powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- 2 medium potatoes, diced into 1cm squares (about 200g)
- 2 x 400g tins chickpeas, rinsed and drainef
- 475ml vegan vegetable stock (made using 1 stock pot or cube)
- 1 Scotch bonnet, left whole
- juice of ½ lime
To serve, optional
- tamarind sauce
- hot mango pickle (not chutney, which is too sweet here)
Step by step
Get ahead
Make the channa up to 2 days ahead and reheat with a splash of water to serve.
- For the baras, sift the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, then stir in the sugar, yeast, salt and spices. On a medium-low speed, gradually add 300ml warm water, beating until completely incorporated. Continue mixing until the dough is smooth, glossy and a bit sticky; 4-5 minutes. Tip into a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise for 1-1½ hours.
- For the chutney, coarsely grate the cucumber into a sieve set over a bowl. Mix in the salt and leave to sit for 5 minutes. Gently press out any excess liquid and discard. Blitz the garlic, Scotch bonnet (a whole one if you want it extra spicy), lime juice, cumin and sugar to a loose paste in a mini food processor. Combine with the cucumber; cover and chill until needed.
- Now start on the channa. Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil for 8-10 minutes until softened. Add all the spices and cook for 1 minute, then mix in the potatoes, coating them well. Mix in the chickpeas, stock and Scotch bonnet, bring to the boil then simmer for 25-30 minutes until the potatoes have softened and the liquid has thickened. Stir in the lime juice and season. If the mixture seems dry, add a splash more water. Cover to keep warm, off the heat.
- Add vegetable oil to a wide, deep saucepan to about 2.5cm depth. Heat to 180°C, on a medium heat. Meanwhile, turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and divide into 12. Shape each dough piece into a ball and transfer to a lined tray. Cover to prevent the dough from drying out.
- Lightly grease your hands and use them to flatten and shape balls of dough into rough 13-14cm diameter rounds. Carefully place 1 dough round into the hot oil and fry for 10-12 seconds; the dough will puff up. Flip and fry for another 10-12 seconds – the dough should now be puffy, cooked through and only just turning golden. Transfer to another baking sheet lined with kitchen paper to drain. Repeat with the remaining dough balls. Once all the dough is cooked, line a large container with more kitchen paper and add the baras. Cover with the lid or some foil and leave to rest for 5 minutes – the final texture should be pillowy soft and chewy. Meanwhile, reheat the channa.
- For each serving, top two baras with the channa and some cucumber chutney. For the real doubles experience, sprinkle on some tamarind sauce and serve with hot mango pickle.
